A tall and rangy winger who took his time to mature, Julien Malzieu exploded onto the international scene by scoring a try on his debut for France in their 27-6 victory over Scotland on the opening weekend of the 2008 Six Nations. However, despite his promising introduction to Test rugby it would be just over a year before the Clermont Auvergne ace dotted again, in the desperately disappointing 34-10 Championship defeat by England at Twickenham.

Malzieu racked up his third try for Les Bleus the following week, against Italy in Rome, but he then fell out favour with coach Marc Lievremont and missed the entire autumn campaign. He earned a recall for the 2010 Six Nations, however, and made his return to the international arena as a first-half replacement for the injured Alexis Palisson in the second round demolition of Ireland in Paris.

Malzieu played in France's summer tour but was then exiled from the squad with Lievremont opting to look elsewhere for the 2011 World Cup. But with Philippe Saint-Andre at the helm, Malzieu appeared in four of France's five games in the 2012 Six Nations.

At club level, Malzieu has played an integral role in Clermont's rise to the forefront of French rugby. Whether deployed on the wing or in midfield, he has proven a reliable source of points, as his record of 12 tries from 29 European appearances underlines.